Shandris Feathermoon
thumb|Shandris Feathermoon Shandris Feathermoon is a level 62 quest giver located at Feathermoon Stronghold in the contested territory of Feralas. She starts the following quests: * * * See List of Feralas NPCs. Lore Shandris is one of the most loyal warriors in Tyrande Whisperwind's employ. As a fearless archer and huntress, Shandris stayed by Tyrande's side through the millennia of solitude she was kept away from her love, Malfurion. Shandris came to lead a cadre of Sentinels known as the Shadowleaves. She is the most talented markswoman in Azeroth, having honed her skills for ten thousand years. Her only rivals with the bow are Lady Vashj and Sylvanas Windrunner. The War of the Ancients Shandris was born in the village of Ara-Hinam. Shandris was only 16 years old when the burning legion came, and Ara-Hinam was destroyed. Shandris' entire family was killed in the attack, and Shandris was one of the few survivors who fled south, chased by the ravening demons. Luckily though, they ran into the Night elven defender's prime army, led by Kur'talos Ravencrest, and the demons were slaughtered. The survivors of Ara-Hinam joined with the defenders. Shortly thereafter, in the evening, at the defender's camp, the young Shandris, lonely and bitter, came to meet Tyrande Whisperwind, priestess of Elune. Tyrande found a great liking in the young girl, and couldn't bare simply letting her remain among the survivors alone, and so took her with her. Shandris soon started to idolize Tyrande and followed her everywhere she went, learning the minute arts of divine magic and healing from the goddess-touched Tyrande. Shandris wanted more than anything to take part in the battles, but as Tyrande forbid her to do that, she secretly accompanied the Sisters into battle, looking on from the shadows, most notably in the battle where Malfurion faced of against Hakkar the Houndmaster, and destroyed him. Shandris' secret tours were discovered by Tyrande, and the priestess told Shandris to never again put herself in such danger. Shandris didn't like it, but reluctantly agreed. However, just before one of the most important battles in the entire war, Shandris, after seeing Tyrande ride away, ran after with her bow, despite the risk. The battle that followed was the battle where the dragons joined the fray for the first time, and also the battle where Neltharion revealed his betrayal. Chaos broke out as Deathwing slaughtered both defenders, demons and even other dragons (The entire blue flight) in his madness, and then was forced to retreat by Korialstrasz. As the dragons departed, the scattered defenders were put under heavy pressure as the demons renewed their charge. In the chaotic battles at the wood's border, Malfurion found his beloved Tyrande at the mercy of one he had thought dead, Xavius. Xavius mocked Malfurion for some time, and then, just as he was about to strike the death blow to the young druid, his body rocked as a feathered arrow plunged into his shoulder. Shandris, hidden in the forest, had proved her unnatural talent with the bow . Chaos broke out as Xavius' satyrs struggled to open up a portal to Zin'Azshari and the fighting night elves and demons reached their location. Several satyrs fell as they were impaled by Shandris' arrows, and Malfurion was able to confront Xavius unhindered. Focusing on the wood in Shandris' arrow, nailed into Xavius' shoulder, Malfurion caused that wood to grow, using up Xavius' flesh as nutrition, the wood grew along Xavius' body, turning him into a tree, so to speak. Xavius growled that this was not the end, that he would return to have his vengeance upon Malfurion. Malfurion confirmed that would not happen, just as the tree consumed the last of Xavius, and stilled, as a massive oak in the shape of Xavius. Malfurion put a titanic effort to reach his beloved Tyrande and ran against the satyrs, but fell onto the ground at the base of the portal, just as the demons jumped through it, taking Tyrande with them. Malfurion's defiant grief manifested as a massive and rageful downpour that consumed most of Kalimdor's inner regions, flooding large regions and putting everyone in vast danger. Korialstrasz picked up Malfurion from the ground, and soon afterwards Shandris as well, who was struggling, half buried in the mud, just about to have a hill crashing down upon her. After Malfurion had managed to stop the downpour, and things were relatively calm, Shandris hounded Malfurion to rescue Tyrande, but that was beyond his power. The war of the ancients stepped into its next phase, as Malfurion, Krasus and Broxigar decided to steal The Demon Soul, Jarod Shadowsong united the night elves, earthen, tauren and furbolgs. Tyrande, touched by Elune, remained untouchable by even Archimonde, in the dungeons of Zin-Azshari, and Illidan the Betrayer, made his pact with Sargeras. Shandris, nothing now stopping her from taking part in battles, which was what she had wanted all along, joined with the sisters of Elune, clad in armour a bit to large for her. And so, as all sisters, she followed the command of Jarod Shadowsong, though the sisters themselves were now led by Jarod's arrogant sister, Maiev. The very last battle, and most epic one, when the Night Elves, Tauren, Earthen, Furbolgs, as well as all the demigods and ancients of Kalimdor, and the dragons as well, met the vast army of Archimonde the defiler, Shandris was in the middle of the fray, along with the sisters, slaying dozens of demons upon another with lethally aimed arrows. As the vast battle unfolded, another battle took place, more important, saying the least. Over the swirling well of eternity, all but ready to let Sargeras through, the massive forces of Malfurion, Alexstrasza, Ysera, Deathwing, and even the Old gods, were set in motion. After a hideously important series of events, Malfurion, with the aid of his twin, Illidan, channeled a spell of incalculable power on the back of Ysera, using the Demon Soul, while simultaneously fighting of an army of satyrs and demons in the ruined city, to protect Tyrande. The spell channeled atop Ysera's back stretched across all of Kalimdor, targeted at the demons, and ripped them back into the hellish abyss from whence they came. All demons involved in the great battle were suddenly torn from the ground and sent flailing through the air, and plunged into the swirling portal that now was the well of eternity. The last standing one, Archimonde, who was toying with the hapless Jarod, unable to resit the might of the demonlord, was caught off his guard by the insanely mighty spell, and was stabbed in the chest by Jarod, just before he as well was sent reeling through the air. Victory was accomplished at the battlefield, but Rhonin, who knew what was about to happen, ordered everyone to retreat to mount Hyjal. Above the well of eternity, the summoning circle of Mannoroth was broken, and Mannoroth, along with all his sorcerers, were cast into the portal. Broxigar leapt through the portal himself, and held the demons off for quite some time, until Sargeras came to end his life. Broxigar, though, managed to cut a wound in the leg of the fallen titan, before he died. Sargeras then jumped into the portal, which was just about to close, and struggled to both keep it intact and get himself through. Malfurion and Illidan channeled insanely to close the portal, against the might of Sargeras, who kept it open. Krasus and the dragons then focused all their energy on the small wound caused by Broxigar. Their mighty attack caused the demonic Sargeras to flinch for a second, but that was all Malfurion needed. Sargeras had for a second lost focus on upholding the portal, and Malfurion's spell to close it took full effect. The portal imploded on Sargeras, and both of them seized to exist. The Sundering began, and Malfurion, Illidan, Tyrande and Krasus fled in the direction of Hyjal, on the backs of Alextrasza and Ysera. The world was cleaved in half, and all the surviving Night elves gathered at the slopes of mount Hyjal. Shandris was there, next to Jarod, ever close to Tyrande. ''The Sundering's ending establishes that Shandris was on the cusp of a romantic relationship with Jarod Shadowsong. Exactly what happened to him and the relationship is unknown.'' The Long Vigilance Shandris remained at the right hand of Tyrande during the long vigilance, and came to lead a elite group of sentinels called the Shadowleaves. The Third War Shandris was stirred from her long vigil by the orcish hordes. When they began to assault the forest, Shandris and her Sentinels attacked. It was during his battles with Shandris and the Shadowleaves, that Grom made the famous sayings: - They almost look like elves, but they're far too tall, and far to savage! - They are ... perfect warriors! During these battles, the combined might of Grom Hellscream, infused with the blood of Mannoroth, and a vast army of blood-crazed Fel Orcs, running at Grom's heels, managed to kill the demigod Cenarius, the forest lord, after a long and arduous battle. Horrified, Shandris and the Shadowleaves retreated deeper into Ashenvale to warn the high priestess, Tyrande. Tyrande quickly surmised that the invaders must leave. Shandris loyally obeyed, and together, they sensed a looming darkness. Shandris believed it to be the demonic orcs who killed Cenarius, but Tyrande was still unsure. Shandris remained deeper in the foothills of Hyjal while Tyrande took care of the human and orcish problem. But her encampment came under heavy attack by the Undead, and they barely beat them back. When Tyrande arrived with the survivors of the demonic attack, she knew that the time had come to awaken the druids once more. Shandris stayed behind to defend Hyjal and the World Tree, Nordrassil, while Tyrande went out to awaken the druids. Shandris bravely fought back the demons and undead, until she saw a massive demonic force amassing at the base of the mountain. Just then, Tyrande and Furion arrived, with human and orcish allies at their back. Together, they formed a plan to dupe Archimonde into destroying himself. Jaina defended the human base, while Thrall took charge of the orcish encampment. Shandris was next to Tyrande, constantly on the front lines. First while defending Jaina's encampment, then while defending Thrall's, Shandris' arrows were the death of several hundred demons. At last, when both Jaina's and Thrall's fortifications were broken, Shandris and Tyrande, along with the rest of the night elves, retreated to the peak of the mountain. Shandris fought fiercely in the very last battle, when all night elves, ancients, furbolgs, and even shamanistic dark trolls stood combined against the might of the thousands of ravening demons that came against them. When Archimonde himself came, Malfurion quickly cast a spell that teleported all night elves and ancients to the safety of the shadowy forest. Archimonde, overconfident from his supposed victory, stepped up to Nordrassil and prepared to consume it's energy. Just then, Malfurion activated his trap. Thousands of the Night elves' ancestral guardians swarmed up from the forest and, with a titanic effort, destroyed Archimonde. The demons, leaderless and confused, were ambushed by the remaining Night Elves, Orcs. and Humans, and were slaughtered. Shandris, a great hero of now the third war as well, helped at the side of Tyrande, in retaking the Night Elves' grounds and rebuilding their settlements. She remained in Kalimdor as Tyrande and Malfurion chased Illidan from the Broken Isles, through the Plaguelands and into the ruins of Dalaran. Shandris is now the general of the Sentinels, and can be found in the Feathermoon Stronghold in Feralas, which is named after her. Quotes Shandris: "I'll follow you for the rest of my life, my lady!" Tyrande: "Don't call me that, I'm still Tyrande." Shandris: "Yes, my lady" '' :- Shandris to Tyrande after Tyrande unexpectedly inherits the title of high priestess Shandris: ''"I'm going with you!" Tyrande: "That is not possible." Shandris: "I'm good with a bow! My father taught me well! I'm probably as good as any of these!" '' :- Shandris to Tyrande just before the great battle when Neltharion reveals his betrayal. ''"Tyrande! Praise Elune, you've made it! The Undead appeared out of nowhere and attacked our village without warning." :- Shandris to Tyrande after Tyrande's arrival. Sources * Shandris features prominently in the War of the Ancients Trilogy. Feathermoon, Shandris Feathermoon, Shandris Feathermoon, Shandris Feathermoon, Shandris Feathermoon, Shandris Feathermoon, Shandris